Scripture to Read: Romans 6:19
Today, we’re going to park ourselves in front of Romans 6:19, “I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” In Romans 6:19, God allows Paul to tell everyone his reason for choosing to use the illustration of slavery in his explanation of where people are in their relationship with God or sin. God had Paul tell everyone that he used “human terms” because of their spiritual immaturity (the weakness of your flesh). Everyone is at a different level in their spiritual depth, and God wanted even the newest believers to understand where they used to be—without Christ, and where they were now—with Christ. So, when we were without Christ, we chose to offer our bodies to sin and lawlessness. The reason we lived in sin was that we were enslaved to sin. God makes this point in 2 Timothy 2:26, saying of everyone still lost in their sin, “they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” But now that we’ve “come to our senses” by surrendering to Christ as Lord, we must offer our bodies as slaves of righteousness because the result is God’s sanctifying work in us. In other words, we choose to live holy lives and fulfill the purpose God designed us to fulfill (Ephesians 2:10).
Challenge & Application
Why couldn’t we understand our slavery to sin before we surrendered to Christ as Lord?
How are you fulfilling the purpose God designed you to fulfill, and how do you see God using it to change you more each day?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!